Popovers – Recipe from Maine

Ever have something that you ate as a child but have never tried making yourself because you were worried it would burst the memory? That’s how popovers have been for me.

I remember on cold winter weekend mornings waking up to a bedroom window covered in ice and I’d lie in my bed not wanting to get up because I knew the minute my feet hit the floor I’d start to shiver. Then, just about the same time as the aroma wafted into my room, I’d hear my dad call from downstairs, “Popovers are ready.”

My feet didn’t care about the cold as I dashed downstairs for that first bite of popover slathered with butter and homemade jam. I can close my eyes now and see the sparkle in Dad’s eyes as the perfectly popped popovers came out of the custard cups. There were no such things as popover pans in the dark ages.

Just as there is today, there was the discussion as to whether you bake a popover starting with a very hot oven or put them in the cold oven and turn up the heat. Marjorie Standish, a cookbook author and food columnist for a Portland, Maine newspaper said “cold oven.” The Fannie Farmer cookbook (a million years old) said to use a cold oven but everyone else I read said hot. Some even said pre-heat the popover pan too, similar to what you’d do with a Yorkshire pudding.

Dad always used a cold oven and I thought, “What the heck, it worked for him and I’m going for food memories,” so in the cold oven they went after resting for about 30 minutes. Just as I did when I baked my first macarons with feet, I stood at the oven window.

“Will they pop?”

“Am I wasting my time?”

“Can dad see this?”

Then the phone rang and I left the oven window. I’d set the timer for 7 minutes before baking should end (just to ensure the oven wasn’t hotter than it should be) and when the timer started to ring I got off the phone and gritted my teeth before turning on the light in the oven.

They popped! Not only did they pop but they were huge!

When they were finally done baking, I pulled them out and started photographing. Normally you’d take them out of the pan right away so they wouldn’t sweat but I needed photos. Once the pan photos were done, it was time to see if they were hollow inside. Hollow is good and perfect for tearing apart and adding butter and jam.

They were hollow!

There I was in the kitchen talking aloud to my father who’s been dead since 1987. “Happy Father’s Day, Walt! I made popovers your way.”

My sister arrives from New York in a week or so and I need to get up to speed with family recipes.

Nice post and sweet memories of your dad! I’ve never made popovers – Mrs K R likes to do them, so I’m more than happy to let her – but they’re always a treat. I remember ice on my window when I was young! Haven’t seen that lately – I guess all of our windows must be double-glazed these days, so we don’t get that. Either that, or we keep our furnace higher than my parents did when I was a tad. 😉

in Maine when was REALLY little we had a coal furnace in the cellar (wasn’t called basement then). When I was older it was a fancy oil burner. We had what were lovingly called “the friggin storm windows” (said by my father when he had to put them on in the fall). 🙂

Goodness, these turned out beautifully! I’ve never had or made a popover (which is a shock and a tragedy, I know!) After seeing these pictures I’m praying for a cooler day tomorrow. I want to make these badly! Thank you for sharing such a lovely post!

Yes they are very much like Yorkshire puddings. According to a link on the net “The difference between popovers and Yorkshire puddings is that Yorkshires use the beef fat (the drippings from a beef roast).” Popovers use butter and are baked in a popover pan.

Though there’s no generations old popover recipes in my family, I’ve made enough of the long forgotten recipes to know exactly how you felt waiting for these beauties to come out of the oven. They look fantastic and surely your Dad was smiling. I, too, remember the ice-covered windows and putting up storm windows in the Fall and screens in the Spring. Thanks for the recipe and memories, Maureen. 🙂

Ok, I am sold! The pan is in the cellar—no basement! Father’s day this weekend, possible some of the children are coming in…one from college, and our married daughter and her husband. This sounds like a great breakfast treat. I am the Mom to 5 grown children/adults. And Grandmomma to 6 and 1/2 lovely little tykes. #7 due in August. I think I will have to search for another popover pan. One pan will not be enough to feed the “group” should they all show up for a weekend. I love your post and stories. Takes me back to when life was so much more uncomplicated. Keep me smiling please.
Maryann…from Michigan…all too familiar with the cold mornings in the fall/winter/spring.

Just love this! In the same way I love yorkshire puds which is no where on sight here, but strangely popover is scary zone for me, i feel i should try this, but also have pre-emptive nightmare that it wont be as hollow and defnitely not as authentic looking as yours!

Dear Maureen. I ate pop-overs growing up too. I never attempted to make them myself either for the same reasons. I thought, they just probably won’t pop!
These look beautiful and I am sure your Dad sees just how nice they turned out.
This will be a nice treat for your sister.
Blessings dear. Catherine xo

Hi Krissie, so great to see you and I’m thrilled to have met you. In my next life I want to reincarnate and look like you and have your fashion sense too. 🙂 You can buy bread and butter pickles in the supermarket but these are better. 🙂

When I first saw the photo I thought these might be what the British call, ‘Yorkshire Puddings’. They look very similar except they’re used very differently and they are always put into very hot pans. I can’t imagine waking to see ice on the windows. I think I would have yelled out, ‘Can I have my popovers in bed?’ I think your sister will love the climate of the Sunshine Coast xx

it IS summer in New York and where she lives up near the Hudson north of NYC, it’s beautiful. It’s not that far from Rip Van Winkle land. 🙂 These are very much like Yorkshire puddings. Remember the poms used to live in New England. 🙂 We just changed the tradition a bit.

Ahhh, the memories. I too was raised in Maine and woke many mornings and tried to stay in bed until someone else got up and stoked the wood stove to warm the house before I got up (the rule was whoever got up first had to stoke the stove!) My dad left the house about 4:00 am to work on his brothers dairy farm and the house had cooled off before the rest of us got up. We used to do the reverse of the Walton’s (TV show). Instead of saying good night, there was a chorus of “Mom (or any one of the 5 kids), are you getting up yet?” Whoever had to go the bathroom the worst would have to get up first and stoke the fire after they ran out through the shed to the outhouse (no heat out there!).

Popovers were a weekend treat that my Mom made for us. But, only if we all did all our chores and tried to keep from fighting for a week. Needless to say, they were a rare and delightful treat.

I grew up in Maine and very much remember icy windows and not wanting to get out of bed in the mornings. My brothers and I would all run and claim a vent to sit next to in order to collect all the heat we could until it was each of our turns to take a bath.

I don’t think I ever had a popover, though these look very similar to something my Grandmother would make to hold strawberries and whipped cream for strawberry shortcakes. They look delicious, though, and if I can find a popover pan or custard cups (where did you find yours?) I will have to give them a try 🙂

I remember the first time I made popovers many, many years ago – Same reaction – they are HUGE and so very hollow in the middle. Of course I didn’t have any problem filling the middle with homemade jam. Your popovers look so very, very yummy! Fabulous pictures of a fun and classic treat!

Awww, I love this! Popovers always make me think of “Little Women”. 🙂 I had a popover pan when I lived in the States but couldn’t bring it with me. I’m so glad you posted this today to inspire me to look for one here in Oz. 🙂

Oh Maureen – I love you recipes and love reading your blog too.. Usually I am not a good reader though. Your dad will definitely be proud of you as the pop overs look so PERFECT! ! Have a fun time with your sister – I can imagine how excited you would be to have her !

Aww that’s a touching story, your father sounds like a perfect father. So sorry that he haw been dead for so long now… I had seen popovers the first time on nami’s blog. Somehow those hadn’t found their way across the alpine mountains, nor did they appear in the goan markets. Need to see now where I could get those pans! My husband loves fluffy baked goods. =D

Your popovers a fine tribute to your Dad I’m glad they worked for you first time. Mum never used beef dripping for the Yorkshires, just oil and any leftovers we used to have sprinkled with sugar and lemon just like pancakes for afters. We always used to fight over the burnt ones too for some reason!

wow.. maybe I should burn the next ones just to see how I like them 🙂 I used butter instead of oil but I don’t think there’s a dime’s worth of difference between the two 🙂 Just that the yanks in New England had to put their stamp on them.

WOW!!!
How amazing! I never would have thought that such a small amount of batter would puff up like that!
They look so perfect and crisp on the outside, and ready to be filled with jam and butter. I am sure your dad was watching.
Well done, delicious 🙂

I havent encountered a popover, but I can imagine them being so very exciting in the morning as a child. I am so glad they worked put and I will be imagining you making them for your sis on her first morning with you x

There are memories in popovers for me, too, Maureen. I made a batch for one of my Dad’s last meals. (And talking to Dads in the kitchen, whether present or not, is A-ok in my book.) I’ve tried both baking methods and prefer the cold oven, although I think it has more to do with sentiment than technique. 🙂

Oh Maureen – these look simply divine!!! I love popovers!! I’m making these on the weekend and I will try your cold oven. I do use a heated pan for Yorkshire pudding. I’ll be talking to you with my feet at the oven door.

Loved your story along with the recipe…..
I first made Popovers at a friend’s vacation home in Maine, where she has her great grandmother’s recipe, a woman who was from Chattanooga Tn and built a fishing cottage on a lake in Northern Maine in 1918. Our popovers from her recipe were perfect! I forgot to write the recipe down and have been searching and trying recipes from all over the web since I’ve been home in Virginia…. First tried the Jordan Pond Recipe which was a complete failure for me . I tried others as well which were flops… Then, last night I tried your dad’s recipe and it was PERFECT!!!!! I thanked your dad as well… My childhood was also accompanied by freezing feet in the mornings and while my father is an amazing cook, he didn’t make popovers for breakfast. He did though make wonderful pancakes and homemade bread.
Thank you!
Bridget Bryant
Orange, Virginia

I have made cold oven popovers many times with great success! As someone who will go to any length to avoid oven cleaning, the advantage of using the cold oven method is you don’t get the spillover of beef fat or oil like you do with Yorkshire puds done in hot beef fat. Gotta love that!

I have a questions about your popovers. My husband grew up with them and has always had a love for them so I would like to make some for him this Christmas (and from now on). 🙂 In regards to the milk, does it matter what kind- skim, 1%, 2%, whole? Thank you so much for your time!